A Long Way From Home (Shameless)

7th episode of the 3rd season of Shameless

"A Long Way From Home"

Shameless episode
Episode no.| Season 3
Episode 7
Directed by| Mimi Leder
Written by| Etan Frankel
Produced by| Etan Frankel
Cinematography by| Kevin McKnight
Editing by| Finnian Murray
Production code| 2J6607
Original release date| March 3, 2013 (2013-03-03)
Running time| 52 minutes
Guest appearances

* Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson (special guest star)
* Ryan Bittle as Steven Redel
* Mike Doyle as Lanier
* Stephanie Fantauzzi as Estefania
* Barry Shabaka Henley as Judge Glen Aufseeser
* Juanita Jennings as Mama Kamala
* Mary Mara as Nance
* Bernardo de Paula as Beto
* Elizabeth Sung as Mrs. Wong
* Keiko Agena as Brittany Sturgess
* Daija Owens as Laronda
* David Wells as Father Pete
* Laura Slade Wiggins as Karen Jackson

Episode chronology
| ← Previous
"Cascading Failures"  | Next →
"Where There's a Will"

|

Shameless season 3
List of episodes

"A Long Way From Home" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television comedy drama Shameless, an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It is the 31st overall episode of the series and was written by producer Etan Frankel, and directed by Mimi Leder. It originally aired on Showtime on March 3, 2013.

The series is set on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, and depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam. He spends his days drunk, high, or in search of money, while his children need to learn to take care of themselves. In the episode, Frank and Fiona face in court to determine the future of the children.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.76 million household viewers and gained a 0.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, who praised the main storyline, writing and performances.

## Plot[edit]

Fiona (Emmy Rossum) prepares to ask a lawyer to help her gain full custody of her siblings, planning to cut ties with Frank (William H. Macy) after discovering he was the anonymous tip. Frank, meanwhile, is planning to appeal to maintain his paternity rights and tries to get sobriety chips to help his case.

Debbie (Emma Kenney) dislikes her new home, as Mama Kamala (Juanita Jennings) makes her work on illegal manual labor along with the other children. One night, she decides to glue her eyes after drugging her with benadryl and runs back home to eat. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) and Mandy (Emma Greenwell) visit Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) and Liam at their home, with Lip asking him to resist his new lifestyle while the case is worked out. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) visits Mickey (Noel Fisher), who is still shaken by the brutal beating that his father gave him; Ian is heartbroken when Mickey chooses to avoid him. Meanwhile, Jimmy (Justin Chatwin) is constantly brought back into Estefania's apartment, as he needs to convince immigration officers of their marriage.

Sheila (Joan Cusack) is disturbed when Jody (Zach McGowan) returns to his sex addiction, as he wants her to perform erotic asphyxiation on him. They are visited by Timmy Wong (Albert Kuo) and his mother, who want to take Hymie to live with them. Despite Jody protesting, Sheila realizes she has an unfit home for a baby and reluctantly decides to give Hymie back to the Wong family. Later, Sheila desperately asks Frank to help him stage an intervention for Jody's sex addiction. Frank and his friend Tommy (Michael Patrick McGill) help Jody understand the consequences of his addiction and convince him in changing for the sake of Sheila; Frank also seizes the opportunity to take Jody's chips to help his case. The following day, Sheila is shocked when Karen (Laura Slade Wiggins) returns; Karen apologizes to her mother for her past actions, and the two reconcile.

To better her chances in court, Fiona forges a will in which Aunt Ginger leaves them with the house, and she forges Monica's signature to sign away her paternity rights. With the help of Veronica (Shanola Hampton), Fiona also gets an unidentified body from the morgue, preventing Frank from cashing more checks. While Frank and Fiona face in court, Lip and Mandy try to file the forged will, but they find out that Patrick, Frank's cousin, has already filed an equally forged will that supersedes theirs. In court, Frank and Fiona both give their respective statements. In his chambers, the Judge tells Fiona that while he is aware of Frank's pathological lies, the lack of evidence prevents him from taking his parental rights. However, he tells Fiona that he will make her a legal guardian, but warns her that taking on the responsibility will greatly affect her future. After considering, Fiona ultimately decides to accept; the kids are allowed to move back home, while Frank is tasked to attend 60 days of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

## Production[edit]

### Development[edit]

The episode was written by producer Etan Frankel, and directed by Mimi Leder. It was Frankel's fourth writing credit, and Leder's third directing credit.[1]

## Reception[edit]

### Viewers[edit]

In its original American broadcast, "A Long Way From Home" was seen by an estimated 1.76 million household viewers with a 0.8 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 0.8 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a 18% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was seen by an estimated 1.48 million household viewers with a 0.7 in the 18–49 demographics.[3]

### Critical reviews[edit]

"A Long Way From Home" received critical acclaim. Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "“A Long Way From Home” pulled off a rather impressive feat by delivering a powerful, character-driven Shameless without relying on an auxiliary character like Monica or Nana Gallagher to nudge the episode in that direction. Better still, the episode played with the idea of Frank’s character in a way we haven't seen since the first season. It flicked at the question of why Frank remains in the Gallagher orbit, which is a vitally important question for this show to examine."[4]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "this has been probably the best Shameless season to date. John Wells and company, more than ever have before, have really nailed the balance of sick comedy and gut-punching tragedy, have cast Frank almost entirely as a villain rather than clumsy comic relief, and given us some big stakes for all the characters. This child services/custody mini-arc has been perhaps the best story the show's told so far, packing in so much craziness at the same time it's abundantly clear how scary this situation is for Fiona and all the kids."[5] John Vilanova of Paste gave the episode a 7.6 out of 10 rating and wrote, "Doors are closing for Fiona, but this episode does open plenty of windows for what's to come in the season's second half."[6]

David Crow of Den of Geek wrote, "Shameless gave audiences the showdown they wanted. Now, the aftermath will likely be anything but that. It’s a brave new world for the Gallagher clan and only one thing is certain: Frank will be drunk tomorrow morning and Karen is going to screw with Lip’s head."[7] Leigh Raines of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "After the harrowing situation of watching the Gallagher siblings get carted off by DFS, Fiona decided it was time for her to take matters into her own hands this week. In "A Long Way From Home," she finally took the long-coming step of filing for custody of her younger siblings."[8]

### Accolades[edit]

For the episode, Joan Cusack received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards.[9] She would lose to Carrie Preston for The Good Wife.[10]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Shameless \- WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
2. ^ Bibel, Sara (March 5, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Wins Night, 'The Bible, 'Vikings', 'Shameless', 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Pawn Stars' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
3. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 26, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Walking Dead' Wins Night + 'Live From the Red Carpet', 'Ax Men', 'Bar Rescue', 'Shameless' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
4. ^ Alston, Joshua (March 3, 2013). "Shameless: "A Long Way From Home"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
5. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 3, 2013). "Review: 'Shameless' – 'A Long Way From Home': Guardian of the Gallaghers". HitFix. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
6. ^ Vilanova, John (March 4, 2013). "Shameless: "A Long Way From Home" (Episode 3.07)". Paste. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
7. ^ Crow, David (March 5, 2013). "Shameless, Season 3, Episode 7: A Long Way From Home, Review". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
8. ^ Raines, Leigh (March 3, 2013). "Shameless Review: Custody Battles". TV Fanatic. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
9. ^ "Emmy Episode Submissions 2012-2013". Gold Derby. March 7, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 15, 2013). "HBO, 'Behind The Candelabra' Lead Creative Arts Emmy Awards; Bob Newhart, Dan Bucatinsky, Melissa Leo, Carrie Preston, Heidi Klum & Tim Gunn, 'Undercover Boss', 'South Park' & Tony Awards Among Winners". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 10, 2024.

## External links[edit]

* "A Long Way From Home" at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Shameless

British
series|

* Episodes
* Characters
* Ian Gallagher
* Mickey Maguire

American
series|

| Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "Pilot"
* "Frank the Plank"
* "Aunt Ginger"
* "Casey Casden"
* "Three Boys"
* "Killer Carl"
* "Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father"
* "It's Time to Kill the Turtle"
* "But at Last Came a Knock"
* "Nana Gallagher Had an Affair"
* "Daddyz Girl"
* "Father Frank, Full of Grace"

|

Season 2|

* "Summertime"
* "Summer Loving"
* "I'll Light a Candle for You Every Day"
* "A Beautiful Mess"
* "Father's Day"
* "Can I Have a Mother"
* "A Bottle of Jean Nate"
* "Parenthood"
* "Hurricane Monica"
* "A Great Cause"
* "Just Like the Pilgrims Intended"
* "Fiona Interrupted"

Season 3|

* "El Gran Cañon"
* "The American Dream"
* "May I Trim Your Hedges?"
* "The Helpful Gallaghers"
* "The Sins of My Caretaker"
* "Cascading Failures"
* "A Long Way From Home"
* "Where There's a Will"
* "Frank the Plumber"
* "Civil Wrongs"

Season 4|

Season 5|

Season 6|

Season 7|

Season 8|

Season 9|

Season 10|

Season 11|

* Characters

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